This invention is in the field of oil-water separators and particularly in the field of apparatus for clarifying run-off or drainage water containing oil and/or other lightweight materials.
Many devices have been proposed heretofore for separating oil and other lightweight materials from run-off or drainage water to avoid pollution of streams, lakes, or the like. However, such previous proposals have not been completely satisfactory and have required considerable attention and maintenance, some even requiring the maintenance of moving parts. Some such prior devices included corrugated surfaces over which the mixture was caused to flow. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,775,233; 2,207,399 and 3,346,122.